The City of New Orleans will participate in President-elect Joe Biden’s national memorial ceremony and moment of unity recognizing the hundreds of thousands of lives lost due to COVID-19 across the country.

At 4:30 p.m. CST on January 19, 2021, President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will light the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington D.C.. At the same time, cities and towns around the country, including New Orleans, will light up their buildings and ring church bells as part of the national moment of unity and remembrance.

The City of New Orleans will place white flags at Lafayette Square to commemorate New Orleanians lost to COVID-19, and a temporary memorial will be placed at the gates of Gallier Hall. Citizens are encouraged to leave flowers, cards, photographs, or other tokens in remembrance of their loved ones beginning this weekend.

Mayor LaToya Cantrell and City Council President Helena Moreno will conduct a small ceremony at Gallier Hall to coincide with the national event on January 19, 2020, at 4:30 p.m. While the ceremony will not be open to the public due to COVID-19 precautions, it will be filmed for the public to watch.

“We find ourselves grieving for the loss of too many lives due to the COVID-19 pandemic while still engaged in our work to prevent further loss,” said Mayor LaToya Cantrell. “We know we must do both. And so I am honored to join and participate in the Presidential Inaugural Committee’s memorial to remember the lives lost due to COVID-19. This will be a time, and thankfully not the last, for friends and family to come together and pay respect to their loved ones. This memorial, though temporary for now, will eventually be turned into a permanent memorial to honor the people that lost their lives due to the pandemic.”